Raven has much to crow about

DURING the fine weather in September I spent much time outdoors, working in the garden and in my small wood.

Several times the work was stopped by a deep, sonorous bird call. I looked up and spotted great black birds, with bluntly pointed tails, flying.

I’ll always stop work to watch a raven. When I first became interested in birds, 50 years ago, ravens were rare in Ireland. You had to search deep in craggy mountains or along sea cliffs. They had been persecuted by farmers and gamekeepers and, because they have a strong taste for carrion, they were vulnerable to baits laced with strychnine.